Reebok readies ‘digital-first’ model as its marketing chief exits for Coca-Cola
Reebok’s global head of marketing and brand management, Melanie Boulden, is leaving the company after just over a year to take up a management role at Coca-Cola.
Melanie Boulden departs for Coca-Cola
Boulden has been named president and general manager of the Coca-Cola Company’s Venturing & Emerging Brands (VEB) division, effective 5 August.
According to an internal memo seen by Bevnet, the former Crayola marketer will be tasked with “accelerating” the futurist group’s role within the company.
Coca-Cola’s North America president, Jim Dinkins, explained she would oversee investments into “entrepreneurs and companies [and] new products and technologies...and help keep a rich pipeline of innovation flowing into our business”.
Reebok’s top marketing job will be handed to Matt Blonder, previously global head of digital at the company. He will take on the role with a slightly different title – vice-president, marketing and digital brand commerce.
In a statement, the company said the transition will not have any impact on the brand’s planned marcoms strategy, which is currently centered on the "convention-breaking" ‘Sport the Unexpected’ creative platform.
“We’re looking at this as an opportunity to implement a progressive digital-first marketing model, with both our digital and marketing teams under one leader,” said a Reebok spokesperson. “We believe this has significant potential to help us move faster and speak to the consumer in a more impactful way.
“Matt has proven to be a strong leader who can execute and build upon Melanie’s marketing strategy. He is an experience marketer, and his accomplishments at Reebok speak for themselves, including a dramatic overhaul of the brand’s digital consumer experience and complete redesign of Reebok.com, significant improvement of the US digital business and the introduction of our first loyalty program, ‘Reebok Unlocked.’"
They added Boulden’s decision was influenced in part by location: the move will allow her to spend more time with her family.